Hahaha, this was supposed to be up before, but I was writing, then accidentally went onto Viria's tumblr and one thing led to another and right now I'm listening to Soldatino (Nico's Lullaby) by Paola Bennet (if you haven't heard of this, look it up I was sobbing).

So… It took a while longer than I had expected.

Thanks for everyone who read, reviewed, favorited, followed, everything. Much appreciated.


He took a deep breath and knocked on the door. There wasn't an answer at first, but a loud, "Just a minute!" and then a quieter argument.

Nico di Angelo answered the door. Percy nearly had a panic attack.

At first, he thought that Nico had been hiding his feelings for Annabeth and once Percy was out of the way, they had gotten together. And then he realized how ridiculous that was and why in the world would Nico pretend to be gay in order to hide that he was straight, especially if the people he 'liked' were together?

So Percy pushed the thought out of his mind and just assumed Nico was… visiting?

"Hey." Percy smiled–no, Jack smiled. "I'm Jack, I just moved in, I live right below you, thought I might just pop in and say hi or something." Percy realized he was scratching the back of his neck the way he always did when he was uncertain and stopped. He couldn't act too much like himself or everyone would know.

"Oh." Nico blinked twice. "Annabeth, some guy from below came to say hi." Nico called over his shoulder.

"What?" Annabeth asked in alarm. "Some guy from below?" Annabeth probably thought he was talking about the Underworld, Percy realized, and tried not to laugh.

"I mean, he lives on the floor below us, wanted to say hi." Nico corrected. "So, come in, I guess." Nico opened the door wider and Percy stepped in. "Annabeth, he's all yours." Nico disappeared into the guest room, and Percy wondered again whether Nico was staying with Annabeth.

"Hey." Annabeth said from her spot on the couch. She stood and walked over. "I'm Annabeth."

"Jack." They shook hands.

"That was Nico, sorry about him."

"No, no worries." Jack assured. Annabeth closed the door behind him. "Your husband?" He asked, on a whim, assuming that someone would ask that if they had no idea.

"No, definitely not." Annabeth laughed. "He's more like my little brother, although we're not really related."

"Oh. Cool." Percy was unsure about what to say next. Usually, he was great in social situations and always kept the conversation going and stuff, but now that he knew Annabeth but she didn't know that and she didn't think she knew him, plus he still kinda loved her and it was just a whole big darn mess. "Uh… So…"

"The douche of a father to my children left." Annabeth said, understanding what he wanted to ask (or would have wanted had he not already known) and answering it. She shrugged. "In his defense, he didn't know when he left, but still."

"That's horrible."

"That's life."

"Uh… Children?"

"Twins. Girls." Annabeth said easily, then looked slightly scared. "What about you, have any children?" She asked hurriedly.

"Oh, no." Jack grinned. "Single."

"Oh." Annabeth nodded slowly, and Percy remembered that she wasn't much of a conversationalist when she felt she had nothing in common with the person. Which meant if she thought they were mortal. "You want, coffee, something to eat?" Annabeth finally asked after a slightly awkward silence. "I don't know what we have, I've been gone all summer…" Annabeth walked over to the kitchen.

"Uh, sure, coffee." Jack said. Percy looked around and saw how the arrangement of everything was changed, some bookshelves added, pictures only of Percy and Annabeth gone.

Annabeth cursed, closing the pantry that usually held the coffee. Not that much was changed in the kitchen, at least.

"So sorry, we don't have any coffee left…" Annabeth apologized, then frowned. "Where'd it go?" She muttered. "Nico!" She shouted, storming out of the kitchen in such a way that Percy wanted to catch her and slow her down so she didn't fall over. He didn't though, and Annabeth didn't fall either way, marching straight up to the guest bedroom.

"Nico!" She banged on the door. "If you're in there, which you better be, you are coming out right now and getting us more coffee!"

The door opened to find a smirking Nico.

"Nope." He said. "Piper says you shouldn't have coffee while you're pregnant."

"Screw Piper, Jack wants coffee." Annabeth said.

"And you'll have some too, which is bad for you."

"What does she know about being pregnant?" Annabeth muttered. She turned to Jack. "Sorry, but it is important that I not be dictated by my overprotective friends just because I suddenly don't have a partner to help me. I swear, I lost one to gain three thousand." Annabeth sent a glare to Nico. "I'll have to go buy the coffee myself, and hide it so I can have it. But it was nice meeting you." Annabeth led him back to the door. This was not the way Percy had envisioned their 'first' meeting.

"I have coffee down in my apartment." He offered.

"No." Nico said. "She's not allowed coffee."

"I have hot chocolate." Jack amended.

"Sure!" Annabeth said, too cheerfully.

"I'm coming too." Nico said darkly. "You're not getting coffee, no matter how much you want it, Annabeth." Annabeth huffed.

"I'm not a child. I can take care of myself." She said. "Besides, what're you going to do when school starts, follow me there?"

They headed out and into the elevator, although Annabeth had obviously wanted to take the stairs.

"You're going to be the death of me." Annabeth groaned. "I'm not that far along, and even if I were, I need exercise too!"

"Tell you what," Jack said, smiling, "I'll go look online and read some article about pregnancies and see if that's true."

"Please be on my side!" Annabeth begged. "Everyone else is killing me!"

They left the elevator and went into Jack's apartment. Boxes were mostly unpacked, and the important things were in their proper place, but the rest were all scattered everywhere. Jack regretted bringing anyone in.

"Sorry for the mess." He apologized. "The kitchen's here."

He made hot chocolate for Annabeth, coffee for him and Nico. Annabeth scowled but took it.

Suddenly, her phone rang, and she answered, apologizing. Jack struck a conversation with Nico, who looked quite unhappy to be forced into being social, but wasn't the worst Percy knew he could be. He had gotten better over the years.

Percy–Jack–he got confused between them, because were they the same or were they different?–learned from Nico as much of the things he already knew as he could. Annabeth was arguing with someone on the phone, evidently someone who knew her father, as they were arguing about her telling her dad.

"I don't know why I'm even arguing with you, Malcom." Annabeth yelled, (that answered the question), pacing the kitchen. "You're sounding like Percy right now, you know that? Ugh, I'm hanging up. Goodbye, and don't you dare tell my dad without my permission or I will kill you."

"Someone's feeling violent." Jack muttered. "But yeah, I'm trying to get a job at the aquarium, and I'm majoring in education in NYU." Perks of having a father as a god, if you really needed to, he could get you anything, including a spot in NYU.

"Annabeth's at NYU too, minor in education, majoring in engineering. I think." Nico looked quite uncomfortable striking conversation, especially when he learned Jack liked fish the same way Percy did, but at least Jack hadn't chosen marine biology as a major, as it was before. Perhaps Jack would be a good teacher.

"Sorry about that." Annabeth had hung up and joined their conversation. She tried to hide her discomfort, but this was definitely not how Percy had imagined it to go, and he realized how stupid he had been not to fix up a proper background for himself, making things up as he went along and trying to figure it all out.

Finally the most awkward social situation Percy had ever been in ended, Annabeth claiming that her friend was coming and she had better go, and Nico disappearing along with her. Percy was left to wonder how in the name of Hades this could have gotten so bad.

Okay, not that bad.

There were a few good parts, Percy mused. And I learned about her pregnancy, how she's being well-taken cared of and everything. I just… need to become friends with her before it's too late and she gives birth. I can't stay much longer if that happens.

~ThisistooshortandIdon'tlikeitsoI' 'tmindthislinebreak~

Luckily, Percy didn't need to stalk her to know her classes and where they were, especially since they now had some classes together–and no, he did not try to remember which specific classes she had so they could have them together, he was only trying to befriend her so he could be at least slightly a part of his children's lives, and although that didn't really make much sense because he'd be gone when his children were born, but it was the only thing he could think of.

It was obvious that Annabeth was shunned a bit more because she got pregnant before she got married, and she hadn't been big on having mortal friends in the first place, so it was easy to strike up a conversation with Annabeth right after a class that Jack tried to listen to but didn't remember what exactly happened at the moment. They chatted, talked about whatever, and it was much more successful than the 'first time' they had met. Jack was a little too much like Percy, but at least he had changed his eye color and hair to blue and brown (blue and blond would look too much like Jason or Luke) and his voice, so she might not make the connection until it was too late. Percy didn't need to get caught until after he had played at least a small role in his daughters' lives.

(Yeah, he was still trying to figure out how that would work and what he was going to do about that. Right now, he was just focused on being friends with Annabeth, and then planning what to do next from there.)

Still, even though this encounter was better than the last, Annabeth was holding back. Her walls were still up, and Jack found himself wishing they were down more than once. He asked questions to try and gain her trust, but some of them just made her slightly wary and close him out even more. Don't push it. He reminded himself. This is only your second meeting.

~0~

"You wanna get coffee?" The words came out of Jack's mouth before he was aware of them. This was the fifth time they had talked, fourth time after class (and no, he was not counting) "I–I mean, you wanna get a drink that you can have?" He rephrased.

Annabeth was looking at him weirdly and he was sweating and What if she says no, what if she thinks I'm strange shoot I messed this whole thing up stupid, stupid why did you do that, she's not ready–

"Sure." Annabeth broke into his thoughts. "But I want coffee…"

"Well, I did look up whether coffee was okay for pregnant women, and as long as you don't have more than two cups, I'd say you're fine."

"You looked it up?" Annabeth asked, and Jack cursed in his mind. She thinks I'm crazy!

"Well, I was curious." Jack shrugged. "I've heard both, but then I've also heard the horrible things alcohol and other really bad stuff can do to a fetus and I was wondering. I'm not too bad with biology, so it was more for educational purposes than anything else." He covered up, and then realized he was being way too much like Percy and started freaking out again.

This is like when we first started dating! He thought to himself, and would have been amused were it not him.

~0~

"Wait, Selina Sofia and Zoe Marina?" Jack asked after laughing about the story she had told about Thalia and Piper arguing about the names.

"Yes. Those were our final decisions." Annabeth smiled.

"Those kids are going to be so lucky." Jack said.

"Why do you say that?" Annabeth asked, frowning.

"Because they'll have you as a mom, and it looks like a heck of a family. They'll all care so much. You're lucky too, you know, not being alone in this."

"I shouldn't have needed to be 'lucky' in the first place." Annabeth muttered bitterly. "We were supposed to be together forever. And then, some argument that we've just had forever but always thought we had figured it out, and we're over."

"What was it about?" Jack asked quietly. Annabeth hesitated. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"Yeah, I don't think I'm ready for that yet. I mean, I haven't even told my best friends the whole story, and you're–" Annabeth paused.

"Not your best friend?" Jack asked gently.

"I've known you for a few weeks. Not long enough."

"Yeah, I get that." It did take Annabeth an entire quest before they had put her 'hatred' of Percy behind her, so it made sense that Annabeth didn't trust him just yet.

"It's so strange, though." Annabeth frowned. "I feel like I know you already."

"Me too."


What do you think? Is it weird? I didn't know what to do and I feel like Annabeth's a bit OOC and actually maybe they all are...

Is the Jack/Percy switch a bit weird? Tell me and I won't do it next chapter and I'll change this a bit.